Bobby Flay Eatery to Open at the Burlington Mall

A new restaurant, permitted as a "fast order food establishment" named Bobby’s Burger Palace is going to open at the Burlington Mall.

But it’s a not a traditional fast food eatery or burger joint.

And the Bobby in its name is chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and TV personality Bobby Flay. Flay is best known for his televisions shows and the shows he participates in on the Food Network, including Throwdown with Bobby Flay, Bobby Flay's Barbecue Addiction and Iron Chef America. Fans will be happy to know that Bobby's Burger Palace will feature Fay's signature burger, the Crunchburger (see picture at right).

The Planning Board approved a special permit and minor engineering change Thursday for the eatery, Flay’s first in Massachusetts.

The 72-seat restaurant will move into 3,400 square feet of space -- roughly half the space formerly occupied by Eddie Bauer. It will be accessible only from the outside of the mall, not from the mall’s food court.

The eatery should open in the fall, Attorney Mark Vaughan, of Riemer/Braunstein, who is representing BBP, told Patch.

The applicant filed for a permit as a fast food versus full-service restaurant because customers will place their orders at the counter, Laurence Kretchner, Flay’s business partner, told the board.  Orders will be delivered to diners at their tables.

The restaurant will use the same quality ingredients as fine dining restaurants, Kretchner said.

“We think our concept is different from everybody else’s,” he said.

The restaurant team prefers that people to eat in and not take food out, Kretchner said. “Food’s better when it’s first cooked.”

The restaurant will be open basically when the mall is open, according to Kretchner: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. most nights, maybe until 11 p.m. by demand, earlier on Sunday evenings.

The mall is a desirable location for the restaurant, Kretchner said, based on the mix of people who work and live here.

The applicant is not filing for a beer and wine license now, attorney Vaughan told the board.

The restaurant partners will probably bring some managers in from another Bobby’s Burger Palace and also hire locally, Kretchner said.

The bus stop for courtesy shuttle service near the restaurant entrance will be moved to the T bus stop by the Route 128 side of Macy’s, according to Burlington Mall Manager Rick Tonzi. Signs will inform people of the change, he said

The closest Bobby’s Burger Palace, according to Kretchner, is at Mohegan Sun, in Connecticut. Others are located in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. and Maryland, according to the BBP website.

The Planning Board approved both BBP applications 7-0.

This story comes in the wake of some other big restaurant news in Burlington, including the , the groundbreaking and coming to town.